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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

Second, linux will happily read NTFS partitions, so you will be able to read all your data with no problem. Write support is possible, but dodgy - I've never enabled it, someone may be able to help you here.

Your suggestion regarding the FAT32 partition is certainly the safest way to do this, and is the way that I do sharing with my dual boot system. It is possible to install the entire XP system on FAT32 if you really want, you do lose a few nifty things (worse user permission system, less notes etc. for files), but no major harm done for a personal system.

If you are queasy about touching the Wxp drive, then put your boot onto a floppy, or install linux onto the 13gb and put the boot loader also onto the 13gb drive. This will be a hassle though, because assuming your BIOS has the option, you will have to enter the BIOS every time, and select from which drive to boot.

I can only give you my experience. I have loaded Mandrake 10.0 and 10.2 onto many combinations of single and dual drive setups, some with all Windows NTFS partitions, some part NTFS part FAT32, master- slave HD combos, etc. I can say that Mandrake has an excellent installer and has NEVER screwed up an install for me. I always put LILO onto the MBR of the Windows partition.

IF you decide to put linux on the 160gb drive, make sure you defrag, and BACKUP-BACKUP-BACKUP. If you put it on the 13gb drive, this will work, just select hdb for the OS install and put the bootloader on MBR of hda so you don't have to enter BIOS every time. You can also install a third HD onto the slave of the secondary IDE channel (if your bus speed is slow and the hd is old you can get away with the old IDE ribbon cable, if not, upgrade to 80 wire), but you will still have to enter BIOS if you don't put LILO on MBR of hda.

I believe linux sees NTFS and FAT 32 and writes to FAT but apparently writing to NTFS is possible but not totally safe yet. I don't think Wxp can see linux partitions. (Correct me if nec.)

liamoboyle is correct about using a FAT share. I normally divide a HD into thirds. 1/3 NTFS WIndows, 1/3 FAT32, 1/3 linux.

Cant you just open up the case and switch the linux drive to be the master, and make the windows drive the slave? Wouldn't you then be able to install lilo or grub on the MBR of the linux drive without having to touch the windows drive MBR? Then you also wouldn't have to go into the bios every time?

I just hate the thought of using a floppy disk. I would have to make like 20 of them, they always seem to dissappear

Would the above scenario work? I am also trying to do a multi-boot with winxp on a 100 GB and a couple of linux distros and maybe free BSD on a 200 GB.

I have finally done the job here. I have installed the Mandriva 2006 Edition on my second hard drive. Installation was flawless. Boot on floppy, no mbr mess . I have struggled a bit to connect to the internet (ADSL) because I had selected too high a security level... and disabled several services (paranoid me).
I have noticed a slow DNS, may this be linked to firewall ?
I am now moving on to a Suse 10.0 since I need Kdevelop.
thx